Archive · 20 Aug 2026
Odisha CM Calls Vande Mataram Beyond Political Bargaining
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi spoke about the song Vande Mataram.
He said the song is deeply connected to India’s freedom struggle.
He criticized a Congress decision to sing only two stanzas at party events.
Majhi said the song should not be changed for political reasons.
The Congress Working Committee said it would follow a 1937 resolution on the song.
That resolution limits singing at Congress events to two stanzas.
Majhi said Vande Mataram belongs to the history and spirit of Bharat.
The disagreement has led to a political argument over how the song should be used.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi called Vande Mataram the soul of Bharat’s freedom struggle.
Majhi criticized the Congress Working Committee’s decision to limit the song to two stanzas.
He said Vande Mataram should not be reduced to vote-bank calculations or political convenience.
The Congress Working Committee approved the two-stanza limit at party events under its 1937 resolution.
Majhi said Vande Mataram was not Congress’s political property to edit, dilute or bargain with.
- Who
- Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and the Congress Working Committee.
- What
- Majhi criticized the Congress Working Committee’s decision to limit Vande Mataram to two stanzas at party events.
- When
- Majhi made the remarks on Thursday, August 20; the Congress Working Committee announced its decision on Wednesday.
- Where
- Majhi made the remarks on social media; the report is datelined Bhubaneswar.
- Why
- Majhi said Vande Mataram should not be limited or altered for political convenience, while the Congress Working Committee cited its 1937 resolution.
Mohan Charan Majhi’s View
Congress Working Committee’s Position
Number of stanzas
Mohan Charan Majhi’s View
Majhi criticized limiting Vande Mataram to two stanzas and said the decision was deeply disappointing.
Congress Working Committee’s Position
The Congress Working Committee decided that only two stanzas would be sung at party events, citing its 1937 resolution.
Political use of the song
Mohan Charan Majhi’s View
Majhi said Vande Mataram should not be reduced to vote-bank calculations or political convenience and was not Congress’s property to edit or dilute.
Congress Working Committee’s Position
The Congress Working Committee adopted a policy limiting the song at its events; the report does not provide its further reasoning beyond reference to the 1937 resolution.
- Speaker
- Mohan Charan Majhi, Chief Minister of Odisha
- Subject
- The singing of Vande Mataram at Congress events
- Congress decision
- Only two stanzas of Vande Mataram will be sung at Congress party events
- Cited basis
- A 1937 resolution of the Congress Working Committee’s highest decision-making body
- Majhi’s description
- He called Vande Mataram the soul of Bharat’s freedom struggle
- Majhi’s criticism
- He said the song should not be treated as a political bargaining chip